Part 3/8:
After successfully taking off, the flight climbed steadily until 8:00 PM, when alarms blared in the cockpit indicating a fire onboard. Within moments, chaos ensued as the pilots grappled with the reality that they had a fire in the cargo hold. The fire started during the ascent, likely due to a lithium battery igniting. These batteries are notoriously dangerous; they tend to produce their own oxygen when burning, which exacerbates the fire and makes it nearly impossible to extinguish using conventional methods.
Faced with a fire warning and a rapidly deteriorating situation, Captain Lam turned the aircraft back toward Dubai, opting for familiarity over the closer Doha Airport. This decision, while strategically sound in some respects, would soon lead to catastrophic consequences.